A Day Off
by Wild Vivid Imagination
Summary: After a bet with Yates and Benton, a very eager Jo Grant, along with a rather reluctant Brigadier, sets out to prove the exact nature of the Doctor's and the Master's relationship. Meanwhile, the two mentioned Time Lords find themselves in a quite unexpected predicament... This will be interesting... 3rd Doctor/Delgado!Master, SLASH ALERT!


A/N: I apologize in advance for the length of this author's note.

**WARNING! This fanfiction contains SLASH in the shape of the 3rd Doctor/Delgado!Master, Fangirl!Jo and Annoyed!Brigadier! If you're not interested, then you're probably reading the wrong fic. Goodbye! If you ARE, then you may go on...**

Hello, people! Welcome to my first posted slash fanfiction! It was born from a discussion about the Third Doctor's era that one of my friends and I had two months ago. It wasn't supposed to end up as long as it turned out, and I thought I might as well post it. I was originally going to post this on Christmas Eve, but then I got a bit busy and forgot about the whole thing. So, I give a late "Merry Christmas" to everyone, and hope that you're all okay after Matt Smith's regeneration... As I said, this is my first slash fanfiction, so I would love some feedback ^^

BTW, to those who have been reading my other fic, _The Master of What, Exactly?,_ I'm sorry to say it won't be updated in a while, because I'm currently rewriting it to fit in with the events of The Day of the Doctor and now also The Time of the Doctor, and also with another kind of writing style entirely. It may take a while. Sorry!

* * *

**A Day Off**

_A Third Doctor/Delgado!Master fanfiction_

It all started one day at UNIT HQ's, UK, Earth, with an interesting but slightly weird thought.

"That's ridiculous, Jo", Captain Mike Yates stated.

"It's not!" Miss Josephine Grant protested, sounding quite upset.

"He's right, Miss Grant. It's a very ..._strange_ thing to say", Sergeant Benton replied. "I don't see where you keep getting these strange ideas from."

"What are you three talking about?" Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart asked as he paced into the room.

"Miss Grant has a very ..._odd_ theory, sir", Benton began to explain, sounding awkward and a bit flustered. Jo just glared at him with a pout. The Brigadier raised his eyebrows.

"Is that so?" he asked, looking at Jo, getting a bit interested. "What could that possibly be, Miss Grant?" Jo was just about to answer him when the conversation was interrupted by another voice.

"What's going on in here?" The Doctor strode into the room with an infuriating smile on his face. Jo, Yates and Benton all froze and became awkwardly silent, staring at the Doctor as if they had just seen a ghost. The Brigadier just looked upon the scene, feeling slightly confused, but then cleared his throat.

"Hmm... How's that new experiment of yours coming along, Doctor?" he asked, putting a lot of authority in his voice in order to make up for his own confusion.

"The Neutron Stabilizer?" The Doctor grinned when his latest strange experiment was mentioned. "It's going well, Brigadier."

"I think you should go work on it some more, Doctor", the Brigadier told him swiftly. The Doctor looked surprised and ran a hand through his curly grey hair.

"You think so? Very well." He turned on his heel and strode out of the room, black cloak billowing behind him. "That's what I'll do, then!" As the Doctor's footsteps echoed from further and further away, Jo, Yates and Benton all let out simultaneous sighs of relief.

"Now, Miss Grant, can you _please_ explain what all this is about?" the Brigadier asked carefully. Jo, looking delighted to finally get to prove her point, grinned.

"Oh, you see, Brigadier, I was thinking about the Master earlier today..." she began, and the Brigadier looked at her, wondering if it had been such a good idea to ask, after all.

"_Yes?_" he questioned as Jo took a pause, probably to see if he was paying attention.

"...and I began to think about it. About him and the Doctor, I mean", she continued. "The Doctor once told me..." She paused, listening so that the Doctor wasn't returning. "...that they were at school together. So I pondered over it, and..." She raised her eyebrows suggestively, and it only took the Brigadier a few seconds to figure out what she was implying.

"Oh no. Miss Grant, don't tell me you think..."

"I think they were a couple", Jo grinned. Yates and Benton shifted on their feet uncomfortably as the Brigadier blinked, comprehending the information. "I mean, have you seen the way they act around each other? All that flirting and the unnecessary touching-"

"I'm afraid we don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about, Jo!" Yates interrupted her, sounding almost panicked. Benton nodded, seeming to agree.

"-they just _must _have been a couple once!" Jo continued, ignoring Yates's attempt to interrupt her. "But these two are just being stupid!" She pointed at Yates and Benton. "They don't _believe _me! But you do, don't you, Brigadier?"

"Well..." the Brigadier began, but had to stop and think about it for a moment. "...I really don't know what to say about that, Miss Grant."

"But do you think it could be _possible_?" Jo inquired. The Brigadier sighed.

"Who knows? They're aliens from another world, and they seem to have known each other for a long time..."

"Yes! You believe me!" Jo cheered, interrupting him. "There! Now it's two against two!"

"Oh, come on, Jo!" Yates groaned. "It's not like you can prove it! Even if they _were _a couple once, they certainly would never admit it _now_!" Jo glared at him sourly and looked quite desperate. But then her face lit up in a grin.

"What if they're _still _together?"

"Oh _no_", Benton groaned. "Please, Miss Grant. Just... _stop_."

"No, Benton, _you _stop!" Jo retorted. "I want to try and prove it. Brigadier!" She swung around to face the Brigadier. "Give the Doctor a day off the next time he asks for it! Then we'll keep an eye on him and see if anything interesting happens!" The Brigadier sighed.

"Miss Grant, the odds for anything to happen are minimal, and-"

"Let's do it!" Jo repeated.

"Oh, fine", the Brigadier sighed. "We'll try it out. But I highly doubt-"

"Yes! I'm going to prove that my theory is true!" Jo smirked at Benton and Yates, who both just sighed. "If it turns out to be true, you owe me twenty pounds each."

"Deal."

"Deal..."

As it turned out, Jo didn't have to wait for long. Only three days later, one Saturday morning, the Doctor marched into the Brigadier's office and demanded to get a day off. The Brigadier, still feeling a bit suspicious about Jo's plan, decided to ask the Doctor why.

"So... Doctor, why exactly should I give you today off?" he asked suspiciously, raising his eyebrows. The Doctor tensed and rubbed his neck in the way he usually did when he was nervous or embarrassed.

"Well... I..." He cleared his throat. "There's this... _thing _I have to do."

"This thing?" the Brigadier asked, sounding even more suspicious.

"...Yes. It's quite important, actually", the Doctor replied. Was he... embarrassed? The Brigadier wasn't quite sure. "Oh, come on, Brigadier, surely you will let me have _one _day off?" The Brigadier was still debating over whether to give the Doctor a positive or a negative response, when he suddenly saw a certain blonde head peek through the doorway.

"Oh come on, Brigadier!" Jo said cheerfully, winking to the Brigadier behind the Doctor's back. "Give the Doctor his day off!"

"Very well. Have your day off", the Brigadier stated, exhausted. "See you later, Doctor." The Doctor grinned widely, before slipping past Jo, out of the office. Jo smiled.

"All right, Brigadier. Are you ready?"

"For what?" the Brigadier asked. "He's just going out to do something, how do we know..." Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, Jo slammed something down on his desk. The Brigadier took a closer look at it. It was a letter, written in elegant handwriting.

"I found this in the Doctor's lab", she explained. "Read it." The Brigadier picked it up and began to read.

"_My dear Doctor. I am sure you will be surprised to hear from me now, but I really do require your help. I find myself in quite a difficult situation, and I imagine you will be able to aid me in my time of need. Meet me in the main square of the closest town approximately ten minutes before 12.00 a.m. this Saturday. Alone, please. We wouldn't want Miss Grant or the Brigadier to get involved, would we? Kind regards, -M._" The Brigadier frowned. "M? Oh no. You don't think..." Jo tilted her head to the side and grinned.

"The Master _does _usually refer to the Doctor as 'my dear Doctor', you know", she added helpfully. Then she giggled. "Do you know what this means? Something is going on here! This is our chance! Come on!" She was about to rush out, but stopped once she had leapt over the treshold, turned around and looked at the Brigadier expectantly. "Are you coming, Brigadier?"

"...Oh, all right", the Brigadier muttered as he got out of his chair and wondered what the devil he had got himself into.

Jo and the Brigadier followed the Doctor with a car, keeping their distance all the way into town. As the Doctor parked Bessie and set off towards the town square, the two of them had some problem with finding an empty parking spot, but once Jo managed to bribe a fellow young woman into moving her car (after telling her that they were trying to get their dear friend back together with his ex-lover), they could follow the Doctor.

Once they got to the square, it didn't take them long to find the Doctor. With his brightly coloured red smoking jacket, it was easy to spot him, even across the square. He seemed to be waiting for someone, as he kept pacing around in circles, looking a bit lost. Jo pulled the Brigadier a small café from which they could see the Doctor well, but the Doctor would hopefully not be able to see them. They sat down at a small table, ordered some tea, and started observing their co-worker. Suddenly, the Doctor stopped pacing, and the Brigadier could see an all too familiar bearded man dressed in a black suit approaching the Doctor.

"I guess it really was the Master, then", he groaned and turned to Jo. He found her pulling a small speaker-like item from her pocket. "Miss Grant, what is that?" Jo smirked.

"I attached a small microphone to the Doctor's jacket", she told him with a small laugh. "Now we'll be able to hear whatever they say."

"What? Where did you get equipment like that from, Miss Grant?"

"I simply asked the Doctor if he had any kind of high-tech equipment for eavesdropping on others", Jo explained, looking quite smug. The Brigadier sighed. The Doctor was so gullible when it came to his young assistant. "Now, let's listen." Jo held the speaker close to her ear, and the Brigadier leant in to listen too. He blamed the fact that the Master was a dangerous criminal and it was the Brigadier's responsibility to protect this planet from his schemes. (It was _definitely _not because he was curious, _not at all_...)

_"Ah. There you are."_ They could hear the Doctor's voice quite clearly through the speaker. He sounded suspicious but still surprisingly happy.

_"Good day, my dear Doctor."_ The Master's voice wasn't quite as clear, but Jo and the Brigadier could still make out what he was saying. _"I assume you are surprised to see me here, aren't you?"_ He moved closer to the Doctor and was about to put a hand on his shoulder, but the Doctor casually stepped back, out of the Master's reach.

_"Not really. You always turn up after a while. You're not still sulking over that whole incident with the Sea Devils, are you?"_

_"...Of course not",_ the Master replied, even though he actually did sound a bit grumpier than a moment ago. _"It wasn't my intention to come here to talk about the last time we met, Doctor. I came here because I, in fact, require your help."_

_"What have you got yourself into this time?"_ the Doctor questioned, beginning to sound more and more amused.

"Do they always talk like that?" the Brigadier asked. When Jo looked at him in confusion, he added: "They're so nice to each other. As if they're good friends. Do they always do that?" She nodded and smiled at him encouragingly.

_"Well..." _The Master took a deep breath. _"I need you to pretend to..." _His voice faded into a mumble.

_"Pretend to what?" _the Doctor asked, sounding suspicious. _"I'm afraid I didn't quite catch that."_

_"I need you to pretend to... Oh goodness, Doctor!" _The Master sounded flustered. _"You're making this awkward!"_

_"Just tell me what I have to do", _the Doctor said and let out a sigh of frustration.

_"I need you to pretend to be my partner", _the Master muttered sourly, and even though the Brigadier couldn't see the alien criminal's face, he was sure that the chap probably was glaring daggers at the Doctor right now. The Brigadier then proceeded to observe Jo's attempts to stop herself from what later generations would come to call "fangirling". The two UNIT members kept listening after Jo managed to recover, just in time to hear the Doctor's surprised voice.

_"...Partner in what sense, exactly?"_

_"Business partner, of course! What else could you mean?" _the Master snarled, seemingly oblivious. The Brigadier could see Jo's grin fade away and become a disappointed pout. _"You see, I'm trying to buy this... important item from a woman. She works in London, actually. Yes, I make deals even on this primitive planet, Doctor, don't you dare laugh. But apparently, you require a partner to get this item, for some reason. So I told her I would bring my partner here to meet her at twelve a. m. today."_

_"So you need my help to acquire this item?" _The Doctor sounded amused. _"And I have to pretend to be your partner? This could be interesting. What is this item, exactly? It has better not be something dangerous!"_

Before the Master had a chance to answer, the Brigadier and Jo could see a woman approach the two Time Lords. Because of the distance, it wasn't that easy to make out her appearance, but she looked very formal despite wearing a regular pair of jeans and a buttoned grey long coat. The woman pushed her glasses further onto her nose and moved strands of ginger hair out of her pale face as she shook the Master's hand.

_"Ah. Mister Sam Tyler. You're on time as always", _the woman stated, looking satisfied with the statement. The Brigadier had to wonder where the Master got that alias from, but after thinking about it, it dawned on him that Sam Tyler was an anagram for _masterly_. He should've expected as much...

_"Indeed I am", _the Master agreed politely, but there was a frightened undertone in his voice that basically was screaming 'Shit! She wasn't supposed to show up yet!'. _"Maybe we should go sit down. At that café, perhaps?" _He pointed straight towards them, and Jo swung around to stare at the Brigadier, shock evident in her eyes. To the Brigadier's horror, the mysterious woman nodded and walked towards their hiding with quick steps. The Master followed, and so did the Doctor, uncertainly. He appeared a bit insulted, perhaps because the woman hadn't seemed to notice him. Jo quickly pulled out two pairs of sunglasses and two long coats from the plastic bag whose existance the Brigadier hadn't even noticed until now.

"I'm prepared for everything", she said with a grin as she changed into the clothes quicker than what the Brigadier had thought was possible. A waitress glared at them, clearly not appreciating their behaviour.

"This is madness, Miss Grant", he muttered, but still put the sunglasses on and the long coat too, albeit reluctantly. This was going to get too hot for him. (Perhaps in more than one way, if Jo's wish came true...) To the Brigadier's horror (again), the mysterious woman sat down at the table right beside them. Jo quickly turned the microphone off in order to prevent a potential disaster. The woman looked surprised as the Doctor joined her and the Master at the table, sitting down at the Master's left side.

"I don't believe we've met", she stated and took a good look at the Doctor, especially at his clothing.

"Oh! Sorry!" the Master excused himself. "This is my partner, um..."

"Doctor John Smith. Pleased to meet you." The Doctor saved the Master from humiliation at the very last second, stretching out his hand to greet the woman at the opposite side of the table. She flicked her gaze between the two of them, surprised. After a few seconds, however, she seemed to realize what she was doing and quickly shook the Doctor's hand.

"Kate Queens", she introduced herself. "My apologies, Mister Smith. I just wasn't expecting _a man_, that's all..." She looked at the two of them curiously. "Not many people would be as open about this as you are. Luckily for you..." Their discussion was interrupted as the grumpy waitress approached them.

"What do you wanna eat?" she asked, sounding very bored with the situation. The Brigadier noted that she sounded American. And rude. Not a good combination.

"No thanks, I won't have anything. Just a glass of water, please", Queens told her swiftly, before staring expectantly at the two men sitting opposite her. The Master looked completely at loss, but luckily for him, the Doctor handled the situation with ease.

"A cup of tea with lots of sugar", he said. Then he cast a glance at the Master, turned back to the waitress, and grinned. "No, make that two cups. Oh, and a sandwich, please. My _partner _would like something to eat." He patted the Master's back affectionately, and the waitress stared at them for a second before slipping away to make the tea. It was clear that the Doctor had understood the meaning of the word 'partner' in this situation and accepted it, while the Master still thought it was about something as simple as a business partner. Jo was clearly restraining herself from giggling, while the Brigadier had to stop himself from letting out an embarrassed groan.

"As I was saying", Queens continued, "luckily for you I am an open-minded person. Not many people would support the kind of relationship you two have." Her voice dropped into a whisper at the last sentence as she observed the Doctor and the Master as if they were a foreign species that needed to be examined (well, they actually _were_, but she didn't know that, did she?). The Master smiled and nodded, but it was clear that he didn't understand what Queens meant. The Doctor, however, discreetly smirked before speaking up again.

"How nice to see some open-minded people once in a while", he told her, flashing her one of those charismatic grins he mastered so well. "Our society is so full of prejudice when it comes to us. To think that it was so well accepted in Ancient Greece but not nowadays..." He shook his head and sighed before not so discreetly slipping his arm around the Master's back. The Master flinched and seemed surprised for a second, but quickly pushed his shock back in under his mask of calmness. Queens smirked, something that seemed slightly out of character for her serious appearance.

"Yes, would you look at that, Mister Smith? Your partner is quite the jumpy one."

"He's just not used to this happening in public", the Doctor explained, smiling widely. "However, seeing that you accept us the way we are, I see no reason to hide it. Oh, and just call me John", he told her after he finished chewing.

"You can call me Sam too", the Master pointed out awkwardly. Queens nodded.

"On first name basis now, are we? Very well. Call me Kate, then."

The Brigadier was surprised by what a good actor the Doctor was. If he hadn't been aware of the identity of the two men at the table beside him, he would probably have thought that they were an actual gay couple...

Around the time that the Brigadier had finished his train of thoughts, the waitress returned with their order and quickly placed it down on the table before hurrying back to the kitchen, still with that sour expression. The Doctor quickly snatched the Master's sandwich from its plate and pushed it into his mouth. The Master glared at him, looking slightly upset over the lost sandwich. The Doctor just grinned at him.

"So", the Doctor restarted the conversation as he sipped at his tea. "I hear Sam wants to buy something from you."

"Ah. Yes", Queens stated and pulled a very small box out of her coat's pocket. It fit into her palm easily. "I've got the one you wanted here, Sam." She handed it to the Master, who took it and held it in his palm as if it was a fragile treasure.

"Excuse me", the Doctor interrupted her, "but I was never told what exactly my partner was attempting to buy. He just dragged me along here without telling me, you see." He moved a bit closer to the Master and lifted his arm to drape it over the Master's shoulders instead. Queens looked shocked.

"Oh dear! I'm sorry!" she told the Master. "You wanted it to be a surprise, didn't you? I apologize sincerely! I wouldn't have forced you to bring John along in that case! I just wonder why you bought this in the first place, now that I see that your partner is a man..." The Master just smiled despite his clearly visible confusion. The Brigadier just kept wondering what the hell the Master had gone and bought.

"Oh, I assure you, it's all right, Kate. I'm sure, um,_ John _won't mind." He stuttered as he used the Doctor's alias. The Doctor smiled as he kept playing along with the act.

"It's all right. Sam likes attempting to surprise me, but to be honest, he's never been that good at it." The Doctor let out a small laugh and started caressing the Master's right shoulder with his right hand. Then, to the surprise of everyone observing them, he leant in and gave the Master a quick kiss on the cheek.

This caused a number of different reactions. Jo clamped her hands over her mouth because she had to stop herself from letting out a high-pitched sound that would probably draw a lot of attention to her. The Brigadier stared at the Doctor, not really believing his eyes. Queens just looked neutral but also content. The Master's reaction was probably the most interesting one, though. He stopped moving completely, he didn't even breathe, almost dropped his cup of tea and his face turned red. He turned his head slowly and stared at the smirking Doctor beside him.

"What is it, old chap? You look surprised", the Doctor teased and raised his hand to finger the Master's bare neck. (This made the Brigadier to suddenly vaguely remember a situation a few weeks ago when the Doctor had explained Time Lord biology to Jo, and recall that the Doctor had mentioned that a Time Lord's neck was very... _sensitive _in a way that the Brigadier preferred not to think of...***1**) The Master's breath caught in his throat and the cup of tea fell to the floor with a crash. Queens watched the sugary substance pouring over the floor with fascination and raised her head just in time to see the Master leap at the Doctor like a predator towards its prey, pushing them both off their chairs. As the two Time Lords landed on the floor with a loud thump, the woman even leant over the table to observe the 'business partners' with clear interest.

For a second, the Brigadier thought the Master was trying to harm the Doctor and leapt out of his chair to come to his friend's aid, but then he realized what the two Time Lords were _actually _doing and quickly sat back down. The two of them were lying in a heap on the floor, with the Doctor on top of the Master (however that happened), and they were making out. As in kissing. Violently. In a café which the Brigadier now noticed was full of people, all staring at the two men snogging on the floor. The whole room had become silent, except for the Doctor and the Master, who were both too... _occupied _to notice what was happening around them. He sighed, feeling slightly embarrassed. Jo, meanwhile, could no longer stop herself from letting out squeals of delight while she was...

"Miss Grant, what are you doing?" the Brigadier hissed and stared at Jo in horror, still hearing the moans of the two Time Lords behind him. Now, the grumpy waitress was coming out of the kitchen, probably delivering food for some customer. Oh dear.

"Taking photos, of course!" Jo grinned as she clicked the buttons on her camera and caused a bright light to flash. "I'll need them to prove to Mike and Benton that I've won the bet!" The Brigadier was about to tell her off, but he was interrupted by the waitress's angry voice:

"What the hell do you faggots think you're doing?!" This caught everyone's attention, and many pairs of eyes instead turned to the young American woman. Except the Doctor's and the Master's, of course. They didn't appear to have noticed anything at all. In fact, they just kept getting more... _intimate_, if that was even possible. The Brigadier had to wonder, _when exactly _they had got rid of their jackets? He glanced at them briefly, and only caught sight of the Doctor licking the Master's neck, before quickly turning away again and trying to ignore the strange thoughts that were beginning to appear in his head. Hearing the Master cry out the Doctor's name one second afterwards didn't really help.

"Oh, _Doctor_...!"

The Brigadier facepalmed.

The waitress looked as if she was about to explode, and most of the customers in the café were glaring at the Time Lords unappreciatively. But not Jo, naturally. She was still staring at the Doctor and the Master in awe. And Kate Queens was drinking her glass of water as if waiting to see what was about to happen next. The Brigadier sighed. If no one else was going to do anything about the situation, he guessed that it was up to him. He took off his sunglasses, got out of his chair and walked over to the two aliens. Before either the Doctor or the Master had a chance to comprehend what was happening, the Brigadier had grabbed them both, tugged them off the ground and pulled them out of the café. It took him approximately three and a half second.

"Are you two always this incapable of controlling yourselves?" he shouted at them. "Doctor, if anyone in that café recognized you as UNIT's scientific advisor, I'm going to have one hell of a problem explaining to the government what you were doing on a café's floor with Earth's Enemy Number One!" The Doctor looked very confused as he stood there, his face still flushed and sweaty, his white frilly shirt messy and his jacket gone. He blinked slowly.

"Brigadier? What are you even doing here?" he asked in a clear attempt to figure out what the hell had happened in the last few minutes.

"I thought I told you not to get any of your human pets involved!" the Master hissed, looking very embarrassed. He looked even worse than the Doctor. He had lost his black jacket, and the white buttoned shirt he was wearing had lost several buttons. He seemed to notice that the Brigadier was staring at him, looked down at his shirt, noticed what it looked like and turned an even brighter shade of red. "Also, Doctor, would you mind explaining what you have done to my clothing?"

"I didn't tell the Brigadier about this!" the Doctor argued. "I don't know what he's even doing here!" He looked at the Master's shirt. "Oh. Sorry about your shirt. I think I got a bit too... _excited_."

"I think you did, yes", the Master stated. The Doctor frowned.

"Well, _you _can't exactly say anything, can you? _You _were the one who leapt at _me_."

"_You _kissed _me _first!" the Master shouted, sounding rather upset for being an evil mastermind. "And you kept touching me! You touched my neck, Doctor! _My neck! _I think it's safe to say that _you _started it!"

"Hey, let's just calm down for a second-", Jo, who was carrying the jackets belonging to the Time Lords, tried to interrupt the argument, but her attempt was a failure.

"_You _asked _me _to show up in the first place!" the Doctor countered. "I had to keep up the illusion of us being a couple! It was clear that it was what Kate Queens expected! I was just playing along!"

"So you were just pretending, then." The Master's voice suddenly lost its spark of fury and became a lot softer. "You did all those things without even meaning them?" He sounded so accusing as he asked the question, so disappointed. The Doctor looked shocked by the turn the conversation had taken, and began an unsure reply.

"I..." He sighed. "I don't know."

"You don't know?!" The Master's voice sounded shaky, almost as if he was... on the verge of tears? The Brigadier felt very confused. "Do you know what? I'm tired of this."

"Tired of what?" the Doctor asked, sounding genuinely confused. The Master let out a laugh, but it was entirely laughter-less.

"Don't act clueless. You know exactly what I mean. This game we're playing. I'm tired of pretending."

"Pretending about what, exactly? I'm afraid I don't really follow", the Doctor replied carefully, as if he was attempting not to upset the other Time Lord even further.

"Pretending that we hate each other", the Master told him firmly.

"We don't? Since when?" The Doctor looked completely unsuspecting. The Master glared at him, and then he finally broke.

"Do you think I do this because I hate you?! Do you think I send you flowers every other week because I hate you?! Do you think I've tried to save your life on several occasions because I hate you?! Do you think I want you to leave Earth with me because I hate you?! _Do you think I ask you to rule the universe with me because I hate you?!_" he yelled at the Doctor, sounding more furious than the Brigadier had ever heard him before.

"You send him flowers? That's so-" Jo began excitedly, but the Brigadier clamped his hand over her mouth to stop her from continuing. The situation was heated enough already; they didn't need Jo's comments now.

"Calm down", the Doctor said softly. "There's no need to-"

"Doctor", the Master interrupted him, "I love you." A silence fell over the Doctor. Jo stared at the Master, looking completely awe-struck by the revelation. The Brigadier didn't even know what to think any more, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for the Master for having such a clueless object of affection. After many long seconds, the Doctor finally showed some kind of reaction.

"You can't mean that", he replied. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know perfectly well what I'm talking about!" the Master hissed. "_You're_ the one who's completely blind to other people's feelings! I've been in love with you ever since we went to the Academy together, and you've never noticed!" He stepped closer to the Doctor. "I was going to tell you this under better circumstances, but it's too late now, isn't it?" He placed the small box that Queens had given him into the Doctor's hand roughly. "Have this one, too. It doesn't matter any more." The Master turned away from the Doctor, and walked away down the street. "Goodbye, _John_", he said the Doctor's fake name in a mocking tone. ***2** This left the Doctor standing quietly on the spot, looking very surprised.

"Doctor! Why are you still standing here? Go after him!" Jo urged. "Can't you see you upset him?" The Doctor turned to stare at her in surprise.

"Jo, where did you come from?" he questioned her. She didn't reply. Instead, she snatched the small box from his hand, opened it and let out a gasp.

"What is it, Miss Grant?" the Brigadier asked and moved closer to have a look at the box. "What did he give- ...Well, that was unexpected, but I guess it makes sense."

It was a ring.

"Doctor! Go after him now!" Jo shouted angrily and glared at the Doctor. "He gave you a ring! Don't just stand there! I think this proves that he was being serious! Come on!" The Doctor stared at Jo. Then at the ring in her hand. Then at the Brigadier. Then at the ring again. Then into the direction the Master had headed to. Then he took the Master's forgotten jacket from Jo, ran off down the street, in pursuit of the other Time Lord. Jo grinned and pocketed the box containing the ring.

"What are we going to do now?" the Brigadier asked as he stared out over the town's square.

"I don't know", Jo replied. "Go back to UNIT HQ's, I guess. Or we could wait for the Doctor."

"He might take a while", the Brigadier stated. "I think we should go back. The Doctor can take care of himself." They were just about to start walking back to where they had parked the car, when they heard someone running behind them.

"Wait!" The Brigadier and Jo turned around. It was Kate Queens. "You're the Doctor's friends, aren't you?"

"Yes!" Jo said and grinned nervously. The Brigadier took a deep breath and hoped that Queens wouldn't ask any questions about the Doctor's and the Master's relationship. Then he realized that she had probably heard the argument the two Time Lords had had just a moment ago. Oh no. This was not a good sign. But Queens just smiled.

"And you... approve of the relationship he has with the Master?"

"Of course!" Jo beamed. "They're so cute together! If only they wouldn't argue so much..." Her smile disappeared, but she quickly flashed another grin and held out his hand to shake Queens's own. "I'm Jo Grant."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Grant. I'm-"

"Kate Queens, yes. We heard you in the café, you know", Jo told her. But Queens smirked and shook her head.

"That's not my real name. It's just an alias, so that those two incompetent idiots wouldn't realize who I truly am", she explained, still smiling. When Jo and the Brigadier stared at her in surprise, she chuckled. "My name is the Rani. I am a scientist. I went to school with the Doctor and the Master."

"To _school_? You're a Time Lord too?!" Jo asked in surprise. The Brigadier could hardly believe his ears. As if two Time Lords weren't enough for this planet...

"A Time _Lady_, yes", she stated and regarded them both coolly.

"What are you doing on Earth?" the Brigadier asked suspiciously. An alien on Earth was never positive. The only friendly alien he had ever had contact with was the Doctor, and even _he _sometimes caused more trouble than he was worth.

"That's none of your business", she pointed out swiftly.

"Oh, please tell us!" Jo pleaded. "Why did you sell the Master a ring?"

"I believe you humans would call it 'match-making'. I wanted to get those two together, finally. The Master has been pining after the Doctor ever since we were at school... I simply told one of my many associates among the Renegade Time Lords tell the Master about the Earth custom of giving rings to one another... only I let the Master know that you gave them as a proposition to work with someone. Then I pretended to be Kate Queens, a human owner of a jewelry store; made my associate tell the Master that my store was simply the best when it came to rings, and the rest, as they say, is history." She smirked again. The Brigadier got the feeling that this Time Lady was very full of herself, so to say.

"So you tricked the Master into buying a ring? Why did you want to meet up with him and the Doctor?" Jo asked, sounding really suspicious. "What would you gain from that?"

"I just wanted to see what they would act like in a situation where they had to pretend to be together", the Rani explained. "As I said, I'm a scientist. I like observing their behaviour. It's amusing. I also wanted to see if there was a risk that my plan to get them together would fail." The Brigadier couldn't help but think that her plan had been a little bit... _strange _to say the least. And very confusing. He wondered if everyone who belonged to the Doctor's species was like that.

"Well, it's not going too well right now, is it?" Jo mumbled and let out a soft sigh. "The Doctor wouldn't believe that the Master is in love with him..."

"To be honest, I can hardly believe it myself", the Brigadier muttered, but when Jo turned and looked at him questioningly, he added: "Oh, nothing."

"So..." Jo eyed the Rani curiously. "What will _you _do now?"

"I think I'll leave the rest to the two of them", the Time Lady said with a grin. "Don't tell them I was here, please. It'll just be better for all of us that way." She turned on her heel, and strode away down the street.

"...I think we should go back now", the Brigadier said to Jo, after carefully thinking over all the new discoveries of today. She took a deep breath, as if to regain control of herself, and smiled.

"All right. I have some pictures I need to show Yates and Benton... Hehe."

The Master reached his TARDIS, hidden in an alley, disguised as a telephone booth. He sighed. That hadn't gone like he had planned at all. He hadn't planned to confess his love to the Doctor; why did he have to get all emotional and end up telling the Doctor about his greatest secret?! He took a deep breath and fumbled in his trouser pockets for the TARDIS key, only to find that it wasn't there. He muttered a few Gallifreyan swear words as he realized that it had been in the pocket of his jacket. The jacket he had left behind... The Master glared at his TARDIS's door angrily, as if that would help. He kicked at the door two times, before sighing. He would have to go back and get it... Suddenly, a hand was placed on his shoulder, and the Doctor's worried voice asked:

"Are you all right,old chap?" The Master, surprised, spun around and found himself face to face with the Doctor. The other Time Lord was still not wearing his jacket, but he held the Master's jacket in his arms. "You... forgot your jacket." The Doctor sounded nervous. The Master didn't say anything. He didn't do anything either. He just stood still, silently observing the Doctor, taking in every detail of the other Time Lord. The Doctor didn't do anything either. He just watched the Master, as if trying to decide what to do. A few minutes passed under total silence.

Finally, the Doctor spoke.

"What are we even _doing_?" He sounded amused, and his lips lit up in a grin. The Master couldn't help but smile back.

"I don't know." This made the Doctor grin even wider, and he started laughing a bit.

"Here's your jacket", the Doctor said with a smile as he handed said item to the Master. The Master quickly pulled it on, but left it open. He could've taken the key out of the pocket now and escaped into the safety of his TARDIS, but he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he didn't retreat now.

"...Thank you", he simply replied, looking at the Doctor cautiously. The other man's smile disappeared, and he looked regretful, almost sad.

"I'm sorry", he said and took a step closer to the Master. "I know you meant what you said. I was just a bit shocked, that's all. I couldn't believe that I had been so blind." Quickly, before the Master had a chance to react, the Doctor leant forward and pulled the other Time Lord into a hug. Before the Master had a chance to attempt to escape his clutches, the Doctor leant in and captured the Master's lips in a small kiss. "Can you give me a second chance?"

"You... What?" the Master, dazed after the Doctor's display of affection, asked in amazement.

"Do you want us to be a couple, Master?" the Doctor whispered into his ear. The Master shuddered. He hadn't heard the Doctor say his name in a very long time. He had forgotten how much pleasure it filled him with.

"Yes", he whispered back. The Doctor laughed softly, before leaning in to kiss the Master's neck. The Master tilted his neck slightly to give the Doctor better access to his sensitive spot. However, the wonderful feeling of the Doctor's lips against his bare skin was cut short, as the Doctor pulled back after a few seconds.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked gently. The Master couldn't help but laugh.

"This is the one thing I want the most, my dear Doctor", he responded and moved closer to the other again, pressing his lips to the other's neck. "I love you", the Master told the Doctor for the second time that day.

"I know", was the Doctor's only reply as he wrapped his arms around the Master and held him tight. "In that case, I have no regrets." The Master couldn't help but notice that the Doctor didn't confess anything back. Oh well, he thought, it would be a challenge to get the Doctor to be open about his feelings.

After all, the Master _did _love a good challenge from time to time...

"Miss Grant, what **is **this?!" Captain Yates and Sergeant Benton both stared at the pictures Jo was showing them. None of them could really believe their eyes. I mean, how could they have expected that Jo and the Brigadier would disappear from UNIT HQ's and return with **picture evidence**?

"This-", Jo pointed at the photo, "-is the Doctor, and that is the Master. They're kissing. Look!" She held the photographs really close to Benton's face, so close that they almost touched his nose.

"You faked them", Yates stated coolly as he examined the photo. "I don't know how you did it, but I can't believe that those are real." Benton just squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to look at the picture before him.

"They _are _real, I swear!" Jo insisted. "Brigadier, give me some backup!" But the Brigadier had returned to his desk and was signing some important-looking papers, and clearly wasn't paying attention to anything else happening in the room. She walked over and poked him in the cheek. When he looked up with a questioning glance, she said: "Tell these two that it really happened!"

"It really-" Before the Brigadier had the chance to insist on the credibility of the photo, the door was slammed open swiftly and suddenly. The Doctor stepped in, looking very proud of himself, pulling a surprisingly willing Master along.

"Hello again", the Doctor grinned.

"Doctor", Yates began carefully, not sounding quite as sure of himself as he had a moment ago. "Where's your jacket, and what is the Master doing here?"

"My jacket?" The Doctor frowned. "A good question, indeed."

"I've got it here!" Jo held up the Doctor's jacket.

"Ah. Thank you, Jo." The Doctor took his jacket back. He looked back at Yates, and his eyes narrowed. "Captain Yates? What have you got there?" Yates became very quiet and was about to hide the photo behind his back, but the Doctor was faster and managed to snatch the picture from his hand. The Time Lord took a look at the picture, and laughed.

"But Captain, I didn't know you were into this kind of stuff!" he joked. "Hmm, those two sure look strangely familiar..."

"Doctor, I asked you what the Master was doing here!" Yates pointed out, desperately trying to change the subject of the conversation.

"Oh! That's right!" The Doctor smiled even wider. "Brigadier, I'm taking a holiday." The Brigadier raised his eyebrows.

"Why is that, Doctor? Where are you going? How long will it take?"

"Oh, for me it might take a week or two, but for you-", the Doctor counted on his fingers, "-ten minutes, at the most. The Master and I will be taking his TARDIS. As for where we're going... we're not quite sure yet!"

"I'm sure we'll find out in a few minutes", the Master added smugly.

"All right", the Brigadier replied slowly, deciding it was better not to ask. He signed some more papers. "It will be all right, as you still have the rest of this day off, Doctor. You may go." The Doctor beamed.

"Thank you, Brigadier! I knew you would understand!" He took hold of the Master's hand and squeezed it affectionately. Benton chose this moment to hand Jo twenty pounds and discreetly sneak out of the door.

"Are we ready to go, my dear Doctor?" the Master asked and eyed the Doctor while smirking, clearly planning something that the Brigadier preferred not to think about.

"Of course!" the Doctor replied, and the two Time Lords walked out of the door. However, after about one and a half second, the Doctor peeked back in. "Jo, aren't you coming?"

"Me?" Jo looked surprised but delighted. "Are you taking me along?"

"Naturally! We need someone to take pictures at the wedding!" the Doctor told her. "I mean, you're clearly a wonderful photographer!"

"You would also make a lovely bridesmaid, my dear Miss Grant", the Master acknowledged.

The Brigadier couldn't help but sigh at the two Time Lords's behaviour.

...Captain Mike Yates fainted.

THE END!

**NOTES:**

***1 - A kind of popular fan theory about Time Lords; apparently they always wear high collars because their necks are extremely erogenous zones. Haha. I think it's an amusing theory, so I shamelessly used it. Don't judge me.**

***2 - To anyone who understood that reference : I'm so, so sorry. I just couldn't help myself...**


End file.
